Portable heating cover



July 8, 1952 v w. D. BRlscoE 2,602,874

PORTABLE HEATING covER Filed Jan. 27, 1950 Altar/ley Patented July 8, 1952 UNITED-STATES PATENT oFFlcE lPOR'IABLE HEATING COVER Willi-ain D.- Briscoe, Stevenson, Ala. Application January 27, 1950, Serial No. 140,884

2l Claims.

This invention relates to a portable heating cover of extremely simple construction which is primarily adapted for use in heating milk contained in a churn,v jar or vessel to sour the milk for churning but which may likewise be used for other purposes such as raising yeast dough.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a heating cover of extremely simple construction having no doors, lids or other moving parts and which is sized to lit conventional butter churns used for home churning and which has no corners, cracks or crevices in which dirt may collect and no parts which come in contact with the milk so that the heating cover may be readily maintained ina clean and sanitary condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cover which is light in weight enabling it to be readily handled and which is provided with electric heating means so that the cover may be used by merely plugging it into a conventional electric outlet and is so constructed that a correct and uniform temperature will be maintained thereby for accomplishing the proper souring of milk disposed in a vessel contained within the cover so that a better grade of buttermilk and butter and a greater quantity may be obtained in less time from a given amount of milk and which may be accomplished with a shorter churning time. f

Still a further object of the invention is to pro vide a device which will produce a uniform souring of the milk and which is not accomplished by methods conventionally used in preparing milk for home churning.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the cover;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing a milk containing vessel disposed within the cover;

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof, and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an electric circuit for the heating cover.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the portable heating cover in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includes a body, designated generally 6 composed of a top wall 'l and a coutinuous side wall 8 which tapers slightly from the open lower end 9 of the body 6 toward the top wall 'I. Said side wall 8 is provided with two oppositely disposed enlargements I0 of arcuate cross section which are relatively large adjacent the open bottom 9 and which merge .with the side wall 8 at the top portion ,'I, as vbest illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. y

The body 8 is preferably formed of sheet steel or aluminum and includes spaced inner and outer plies II and I2, respectively, defining a space I3 therebetween forming a heat insulating chamber which may be left empty or which may be filled with a heat insulating material I4.

A block of electrical insulating `material I5 is suitably secured in the lower part of one of the bulge portions I0 and a block I6 of electrical in sulating material is Securedin .thelowery enlarged end of the other bulge portion I0. The blocks I5 and I6 are recessed as seen at I'I to accommodate a portion of a light bulb socket I8 in each of said blocks and which sockets project upwardly into the recesses of the bulge portions I0. A lamp bulb I9 is supported by each lamp socket I8 in a recess defined by one of the bulge portions IU. Electrical conductors 20 extend from the lamp socket I8 of the block I5 through the recess I1 thereof and through an opening 2l of the body 6 and electrical conductors 22 and 23' extend from the lamp socket I8 of the block IE through the recess I'I of said block I6 and through a complementary opening 2I of the body 6. The conductor 23 has a portion extending through a bore 24 of the block I6 and which connects with a thermostat 25 within the recess of the bulge portion I0, which contains the block I6. As illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 4, one conductor 20 is connected to the conductor 22 and the other conductor 20 and the conductor 23 are adapted to be connected to a conventional male plug, indicated diagrammatically at 26 and which may be plugged into any conventional outlet for energizing the lamp bulbs I9. If desired, a make and `break switch 2'I may be interposed in the conductor 23.

The heating cover 5 is adapted to be placed over a churn or vessel 28 containing milk, as indicated at 29 to be soured. With the plug 26 connected to an electrical outlet, not shown, the

ylight bulbs I9 will be energized, assuming that to the light bulbs when the temperature is below 70 Fahrenheit within the cover 5 so that an accurate heating and souring of the milk will be accomplished. The flat open bottom 9 is adapted to rest on any suitable supporting surface so that the cover 5 will combine therewith to completely enclose the churn or vessel 28 to retain the heat within the cover 5. If desired, the open bottom 9 may be applied over apad of felt, cocoa matting or other suitable material, as seen at 30. The top 'I is provided with a handle 3| by which the cover 5 may be lifted and carried.

It will be readily apparent that the cover 5 includes no moving parts and with the exception of the light bulbs I9, no parts requiring replacement or maintenance.

Various modifications and Achanges are vcontemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the Vspirit or scope of the inventionas hereinafter dened by the appended claims.

vI claim A-as my invention:

1. -A portable heating unit Ycomprising a rigid body member forming a cover .of substantially frusto-.conical .shape having a' closed top and an open bottom, saidbodymember having a continuous side wall extending completely therearoundincluding an enlarged lower end defining the open bottom of the cover and arestricted upper end merging with the closed tcp, said cover being adapted Yto 4be disposed over a container to be heated, 4said top wall and side wall each comprising spaced inner and outer plies of sheet metal defining an enclosed heat insulating space therebetween, heat; insulating material filling said space, said side wall having circumferentially .a substantially flat mat formed of a yieldable material of an area at least equal in size to the open lower end of the cover on the central portion Vof `Which `the container to be heated is adapted to be supported, the enlarged lower end of said side wall resting on Asaid mat for supporting the cover around the container to be heated and for sealing the open lower end of the cover.

WILLIAM D. BRISCOE.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,296,387 Harris Mar. 4, 1919 1,553,175 Kercher Sept.'8, 1925 1,683,740 Tavender Sept. 1l, 1928 1,968,015 Cooke et al July v31, 19311 2,006,059 Rudori June 25, 1935 2,043,601 Windemuller June 9, 1936 2,511,643 Lawrence 1 June 13, 1950 

